Lifestyle

Telstrayama Everywhere!

E-ve-ry-where, I go in the Canberra area I can always see the Telstra-tower.

One would think having a needle like this pointing out at the horizon would help you orientate; navigate. Nothing is further from the truth. I think there’s such thing as a Telstra-tower conspiracy. It’s just all over the place. I think there are a number of smaller copies around just to confuse me, because I sure as hell can’t navigate using the Telstra-tower as my guiding star.

I made this picture when I had just moved to the ACT (…)

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“Can we go to the top?”
“Sure! There’s an observation deck up there. See the metal rail above the double row of windows?”
“Fantastic!”
“Yep! All you have to do is climb those stairs on the outside of the tower.”
“Erm…what?”
“The stairs. Outside the double row of windows. It’s easy. The view is great, but it’s a bit breezy.”

I too have fallen prey to its guiding light at night, thinking I was somewhere in Reid then all of sudden trying to reconcile the buildings I was seeing with where I thought I was. For about a minute I was wondering how the hell I came to be driving along Commonwealth Ave before I realised I had actually just turned left onto Barry Drive and was heading into Turner….go figure.

I had a similar problem when I moved to Canberra. Was in Giralang and thought I would go visit this tower that can be seen from everywhere. I figured I’d just driver towards the thing. Ended up in Watson !!! So took a diff route and ended up in Deakin. Gave up and went back home.

I moved to Canberra almost 8 years ago and it used to confuse the hell out of me too. To this day I still tell visitors that the reason they think Canberra is so hard to navigate is because they think the tower doesn’t move.

Everywhere you go in Brisbane you see Mt Cootha festooned with multiple lattice towers. Closer to home, Goulburn’s hill is lousy with them.

I remember when I was a kid and we had just Roger Climson on CTC7 and Aunty, but were facing the delight of more channels, the big debate raged over this tower or whether to allow a Mt Cootha style mess. I’m glad we got a stylish single tower. And it is brilliantly located, framed wonderfully by the trees lining Majura Avenue.

Just a shame to spoil it with branding of the worst telco we’ve ever had…but I hope like with Lang Park that sponsor name will one day go away.